"Desirable" neighborhoods for young family in Chicago suburbs (Naperville: sales, real estate)

[BrianDavid]

Hello everyone,

My wife and I are 31-32 years old, and we have a 6 month year old baby. We're looking to settle down in the suburbs of Chicago.

I work in downtown Chicago - so proximity to Metra is ideal.

We are looking to get a 4+ bedroom, 2+ bath home, and stay under $650K.

I'm mostly interested in understanding what are the most "desirable" family-friendly communities that have social get togethers, activities, etc.

I understand that in Arlington Heights, these include:
- Scarsdale
- Stonegate

What other suburbs would you recommend, and these "desirable" neighborhoods within the suburb.

Thanks for all the help!

[JJski]

Have you decided North Shore instead of West? or are you looking at both ends?

[holl1ngsworth]

I'm a little confused by this post. Are you asking for suburbs analogous to Arlington Heights? Or are you dead set on Arlington Heights and just looking for specific neighborhood recommendations?

[Lookout Kid]

Any house in Arlington Heights for $650,000 with neighborhood comps in that same price range will be in a nice neighborhood. You just want to avoid buying a $650,000 house in a neighborhood full of $300,000 houses.

[linicx]

AH is known for the Arlington Heights Race Track. It is a different suburb. I am not sure about trains.

Oak Park is the nearest suburb to the city as it shares a boundary street. It has all the transportation option: train, bus, taxi, limo and zip car. The downtown is walkable. It has a nice park system with dog park. The library has a program for toddlers that seems to be popular with parents.

As the nearest suburb (8-9 miles), the ride into the city by train is about 20 minutes on most days.

Welcome to your new home. Illinois real estate is pricey. I suggest you call the Tax Assessor in Cook County to learn what the tax was in 2014. In most of the state the tax we pay this year is unknown. The 2014 tax is a glimpse as to what the current tax might be.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Any house in Arlington Heights for $650,000 with neighborhood comps in that same price range will be in a nice neighborhood. You just want to avoid buying a $650,000 house in a neighborhood full of $300,000 houses.

I like most parts of Arlington Heights quite a lot, the combination of location, amenities and access to employment gives it some real advantages in the NW corridor.

As LK suggests, if the OP or anyone else is shopping at $650K and finds many homes that have recently changed hands around this price the evidence strongly suggests that there are going to be LOTS of other younger families also in the neighborhood. If they have the patience and temperament to seek out lower priced homes in those same areas, or even areas where recent sales have been a bit higher they will very likely get "more bang for the buck" and probably also have neighbors that have similar values of high quality schools / kid friendly setting...

If they instead buy a higher priced home in an area where many of the more sales have been at a lower price it is harder to say that that others care as much about schools and park and they may end up with neighbors that are less civic minded and maybe just lots of landlords and flippers...

[4122]

I think AH is a good option. The only think is that it's a little bit over an hour from the loop. Of you're ok with that, then definitely look into AH. If you want to look at some closer options, look at, La Grange, Elmhurst, Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Naperville, Downers Grove, Riverside, Oak Park, River Forest, Mount Prospect, Park Ridge, Glenview, Northbrook, and Highland Park. There are a wide range of options with your budget.

[BrianDavid]

Thank you for all the insights. I apologize I wasn't clear in my original post. I'd like to stay more North instead of west. Northwest is fine too.

I was wondering the desirable neighborhoods in other cities like Glenview or Northbrook. In talking with some friends in AH, it seems there are 3 subdivisions in particular that are attractive to young families and have associations that do block parties and social events.

I was wondering if anyone knows any subdivisions like that outside of AH - like mount prospect, Glenview, Northbrook, Deerfield, etc. thanks!

[ToriaT]

It seems to me all of those are nice. Consider the metra stations and lines they are on and which station might be in proximity to your office. Also you might want to consider the town itself. Northbrook does not seem to have a real town area, while places like Glenview, Deerfield and Arlington Heights have nice town areas with shops and restaurants. I am not fond of living in suburbs without town areas but it does not bother some.

[wjj]

Originally Posted by 4122

I think AH is a good option. The only think is that it's a little bit over an hour from the loop.

Express trains from Arlington Heights and Arlington Park are a little over 30 minutes to Ogilvie. There is a ton of parking at Arlington Park.